Africa’s hotel boom is real thanks to growing demand for alternatives to overtourism, and TUI’s expansion signals confidence. But the long-term test will be whether TUI can convert pipeline optimism into actual openings.
Booking.com sees growing its flights business as a strategic priority. An eTraveli deal may still be on its agenda if it can get the courts to overturn a competition decision.
TUI's ambition to reinvent itself as a "global curated leisure marketplace" that sells travel a la carte as much as in packages deserves credit for its scope. But it will be a tough trick to pull off.